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    Wadi Garawi

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    Kashef
    At a distance of 11 kms. On the east bank south of Helwan, in a valley called "Wadi Garawy" are the remains of what are considered to have been the first dam in the whole world.

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    © All Rights Reserved
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    Wadi Garawi

    Uploaded by

    Kashef
    203 views1 page
    At a distance of 11 kms. On the east bank south of Helwan, in a valley called "Wadi Garawy" are the remains of what are considered to have been the first dam in the whole world.

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    At a distance of 11 kms. On the east bank south of Helwan, in a valley called "Wadi Garawy" are the remains of what are considered to have been the first dam in the whole world.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    203 views1 page

    Wadi Garawi

    Uploaded by

    Kashef
    At a distance of 11 kms. On the east bank south of Helwan, in a valley called "Wadi Garawy" are the remains of what are considered to have been the first dam in the whole world.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    of 1

    Exibition presented of / Ausstellung der

    Frontinus - Gesellschaft e.V.


    Zur Frderung der Wissenschaft, Forschung und Bildung
    auf dem Gebiet der Geschichte der Rohrleitungs-, Energie- und Wassertechnik
    sowie der rohrleitungstechnischen Fachausbildung
    c/o GEW Parkgrtel 24 D-50823 Kln

    The Sadd-el-Kafara survey was made by:

    Leichtweiss-Institut fr Wasserbau
    Postfach: 3329
    38023 Braunschweig

    Prof. Dr.-Ing. G. GARBRECHT

    Sadd-el-Kafara: the worlds oldest large dam


    Sadd-el-Kafara: Der lteste Grodamm der Welt
    The ancient Sadd el-Kafara dam is situated in the Wadi
    Garaw i (2946 N, 3119 E), one of the numerous
    wadis in the desert east of the N ile valley, some 30 km
    south of Cairo and 11 km south-east of Helwan (Fig.1).
    The dam was originally 113 m long and 14 m high, but
    now there are only remains on both sides of the wadi.
    The northern w ing extends about 23 m into the wadi
    (Fig.2;3), and the southern one is about 27 m long.
    Between the two preserved walls is a breach, about 5060 m w ide, which has been formed by the numerous
    floods of the past 4500 years.
    In cross-section, the Sadd el-Kafara dam consists of
    three construction elements, 98.0 m total in w idth,
    which differ in composition and function
    A central core of rubble, gravel and weathered
    material;
    Two sections of rock fill on either side (upstream
    and downstream) of the core;
    Layers of ashlars placed in steps on the slopes of
    the rock fill (Fig.3)
    The outside facing of the rock fill is w ithout doubt one
    of the most remarkable construction features of the
    Sadd el-Kafara dam. On the upstream side, parts of the
    facing are still well preserved. There are no traces of
    operational devices, such as outlets or a spillway. If
    they existed at all, which is doubtful, they would have
    been placed in the destroyed center portion of the dam.
    The total volume of the reservoir when fully
    impounded to an elevation of 125 m M .S.L. is about
    620000 m 3 . Below an elevation of 123.5 m M .S.L.,
    about 465000 m 3 can be stored.
    Considering the construction methods and technology
    available, and taking into account the volume of fill
    that had to be transported from the wadi terrace to the
    dam core, and the amount of rock fill to be transported
    from the wadi edges to the supporting structure, the
    construction can be estimated to have taken 10-12
    years.
    Assessments of the dam's stability by modern methods
    lead to the conclusion that the design was basically
    correct, though very conservative. This probably
    indicates that no experience w ith structures of this kind
    was available when it was built (O ld Kingdom).
    Since the rediscovery of the Sadd el-Kafara by Georg
    Schweinfurth in 1885, there has been no doubt that the
    dam is a very old structure. Analyses of pottery and
    radiocarbon dates obtained from samples of charcoal
    and textiles found in the remains of buildings northwest of the dam (probably a workers' camp during the
    construction of the dam) indicate that the dam was
    constructed in the early O ld Kingdom, about 27002600 B.C.. This dating makes the Sadd el-Kafara dam
    one of the oldest in the world, and certainly the worlds
    oldest large-scale dam.

    Fig.1
    Position of the Sadd-el-Kafara east of the Nile-Valley
    Lage des Sadd-el-Kafara stlich des Niltals

    Fig.2
    The Sadd-el-Kafara in the Wadi Garawi.
    Der Sadd-el-Kafara im Wadi Garawi

    Fig.3
    The dam upstream view
    Oberwasserseitige Ansicht des Damms

    Der antike Damm Sadd el-Kafara liegt im W a d i Garaw i


    (2946N , 3119O ), einem von zahlreichen W adis in de r
    Wste stlich des Niltales, ca. 30 km sdlich von Kairo und
    11 km sdstlich von Heluan (Fig.1). Der D a m m hatte
    ursprnglich eine Lnge von 113 m und eine H he von 14
    m . Heute sieht man nur noch Teilstcke auf beiden Seiten
    des W a d is. Der nrd liche Teil ragt 23 m und der sdliche 27
    m in das W a d i hinein. D ie zahlreichen Hochwasser der
    letzten 4500 Jahre haben das mittlere Stck auf ca. 50 bis 60
    m B reite fortgesplt. Aus dem 98.0 m breiten Querschnitt
    kann man sehen, da der Sadd el-Kafara D a m m a us drei
    K o nstruktionselementen besteht, die sich in ihrer
    Zusam m e nsetzung und Funktionsw e ise unterscheiden
    (Fig.2).
    1. Ein Kern aus Schutt, K ies und verw itterte m Material
    2. Z w e i Ste inschttungen auf beiden Seiten des Kerns
    (oberwasserseitig und unterwasserseitig)
    3. Eine Deckschicht aus Kalksteinquadern, die
    treppenartig auf der Steinschttung aufliegen.
    D ie Oberflche des Damms ist zw e ifelsohne das
    herausragende K o nstruktionsdetail des Sadd el-K a fara. Auf
    der Wasserseite sind Teile der Abdeckung gut erhalten. Es
    gibt keine H inw e ise auf Betriebseinrichtungen w ie
    Grundabla oder Hochwasserentlastungsanlage. W enn diese
    berhaupt existierten, was zweifelhaft ist, mssen sie im
    zerstrten Teil des D a m m s angeordnet gewesen sein.
    Das Speichervolumen des Sees betrug ca. 620000 m, wenn
    bis zu einer Hhe von NN+ 125 m eingestaut w u rde. Bei
    einer Hhe von 123.5 m betrug die Kapazitt noch
    46500 m.
    Unter Abwgung der Konstruktionsmethode und der
    verfgbaren Technik sow ie unter der Bercksichtigung des
    V o lumens vom Fllmaterial, das von der Terrasse des
    W a d is zum Kern und des V o lum e ns der Steine, die vom
    Rand des W a d is zu den Sttzkrpern transportiert werden
    muten, kann eine Bauzeit von 10 bis 12 Jahren
    angeno m m e n werden.
    Untersuchungen der Standsicherheit des D a m m s m it
    heutigen Berechnungsmethoden fhrten zu dem Ergebnis,
    da das Bauw e rk grundstzlich richtig, w e nn auch sehr
    konservativ geplant war. D ies fhrt zu der Vermutung, da
    es keine Erfahrung bei der Errichtung derartiger Bauw e rke
    in der damaligen Zeit (Altes Reich) gab.
    Seit der Wiederentdeckung des Sadd el-Kafara durch Georg
    Schweinfurth im Jahre 1885 gab es nie Zw e ife l am Alter des
    Damms. Analysen von Tonscherben und Radiocarbonuntersuchungen von Holzkohle und Textilfasern aus
    Huserresten nordwestlich des Damms (wahrscheinlich eine
    A rbeitersiedlung whrend der Bauzeit) lassen den Schlu
    zu, da der D a m m im frhen A lten Reich etwa zw ischen
    2700 und 2600 v.Chr. errichtet wurde. Diese Zeitbestimmung macht den Sadd el-K a fara zu einem der
    ltesten Talsperren der W e lt und sicherlich zur ltesten
    G rotalsperre.

    Fig.4
    Cross section of the Wadi Garawi at the dam site with remains of the structure.
    Querschnitt des Wadi Garawi an der Dammbaustelle mit Resten des Bauwerks

    Garbrecht, G. 1983. Der Sadd el-Kafara.Bulletin 81 of


    the Leichtweiss-Institute for Water Research,
    Technical University, Braunschweig.
    Hellstrm, B. 1951. The oldest dam in the world.
    Bulletin 28 of the Institution of Hydraulics at the Royal
    Institute of Technology Stockholm.
    Mackay, E. 1912. Old Kingdom dam in Wadi Gerrawi.
    In Heliopolis, Kaft Ammar and Shurufa, E. Mackay
    and W.M.F. Petrie, 38-40. London.

    Produktion / Herstellung : FH Lbeck


    Layout : Carsten Matzat

    References:

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